Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 555: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to achieve a significant fall in homelessness. [19374/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Homelessness involves a complex interplay between personal, economic, social and structural factors. Significant progress has been undertaken to address this issue since the adoption of the Integrated Government Strategy on Homelessness in 2000. This has resulted in an improvement in both the quality and range of services for homeless persons. Homeless fora have been established throughout the country and local action plans on homelessness adopted. A range of new services, in relation to emergency, transitional and long-term accommodation has been provided and settlement services have been developed to assist people out of homelessness.

In order to ensure a "whole of Government" approach to the issue of homelessness, the Government established a Cross Department Team on Homelessness. The Team works to ensure an integrated response to the many issues which affect homeless people, including emergency, transitional and long-term responses as well as issues relating to health, education, employment and home-making. The integrated work of this team, complemented by integration at local level achieved by local homeless fora, reflects the Government's recognition that the response to homelessness must involve not just the provision of housing or shelter, but that a comprehensive approach is needed involving health, care and welfare, education, training and support, as well as accommodation, to enable homeless persons to re-integrate into society and to prevent others from becoming homeless.

Regarding the trend in homelessness, progress is reflected in the most recently published national figures for homelessness, which showed a total of 2,399 homeless households in the country at March 2005, a decrease compared to 2,468 households at March 2002. The 2005 figures comprised 3,031 individuals, a significant reduction from 5,581 persons in 2002. A count has taken place in March 2008 and indicative results are expected later this year.

A revised Government Strategy on Homelessness is being developed by my Department, under the aegis of the Cross Department Team on Homelessness with input from the National Homeless Consultative Committee, which includes representatives of local authorities, the HSE and voluntary bodies. I anticipate that the strategy will be submitted to Government shortly. The strategy aims to eliminate long term occupation of emergency homeless accommodation and the need to sleep rough, by 2010 and also addresses the prevention of homelessness, where possible. This builds on the commitments in both the Programme for Government and in Towards 2016.